Box convertible to a display container and method of making same

ABSTRACT

A container for the shipping and display of goods includes a box formed from a first blank, the box including a front panel having upper and lower flaps, a first side panel having upper and lower flaps, a second side panel having upper and lower flaps, and a rear panel having upper and lower flaps. A breakaway panel defined by a first line of weakness is formed within a portion of one or more of the aforesaid panels. A breakaway assist panel including separation means is formed from a distinct, separate second blank. The breakaway assist panel is adhered to the breakaway panel, thereby facilitating separation of the breakaway panel from the box, by first pulling on the breakaway assist panel separation means to rupture the first line of weakness and then removing the joined breakaway panel and breakaway assist panel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part application ofU.S. Design Patent Application Serial No. 29/169,290, filed on Oct. 17,2002.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable

REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”

[0003] Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0004] 1. Field of the Invention

[0005] The present invention is directed to corrugated boxes forshipping goods and, more specifically, to a corrugated regular slottedcarton (RSC) shipping box which is readily convertible to a containerfor displaying the goods shipped therewithin, as well as to a method ofmaking the same.

[0006] 2. Regular slotted carton (“RSC”) boxes have been known in theart of shipping containers for many years. The RSC box is a highlyeconomical shipping container, due to the fact that there is very littlemanufacturing waste. Furthermore, due to its rectangular shape, the RSCbox is well suited to shipping goods via cargo container, truck, train,or any other means of transport in which efficient use of space is apriority. As a result, RSC boxes are widely used for shipping andstoring many different types of goods.

[0007] The RSC box is formed from a single rectangular blank, typicallyof corrugated paperboard, and comprises four rectangular side panels,each having associated upper and lower flaps, along with a smalleroverlap panel adjacent to one of the side panels. In order to articulatesuch a carton from a rectangular blank, first four crush folds are madeparallel to the depth of the box, to define the four side panels. Next,two crush folds are made parallel to the length of the box, located at adistance equal to half the width of the box, to define the upper andlower flaps. Then, slots are cut out between each of the adjacent upperand lower flaps, in order to permit the flaps to be folded inward toform the top and bottom of the box. Next, the box is articulated byfolding along the crush folds, so that the side panels are disposed atright angles to one another and the overlap panel overlaps a portion ofthe non-adjacent side panel. A suitable adhesive is used to adhere theoverlap panel to the non-adjacent side panel. Finally, the top andbottom flaps are folded inward, first the flaps associated with theshorter sides of the box, followed by the flaps associated with thelonger side, thereby forming top and bottom sides. The flaps are thenjoined by any desired means, such as tape, adhesive, staples, etc., toclose the top and bottom of the box. Typically, the bottom side isclosed first, the desired goods are then inserted into the box, and thetop side is then closed as well. However, the box may instead bearticulated around the goods themselves, in which case both the top andbottom can be closed simultaneously.

[0008] One significant disadvantage of the RSC box, however, is the factthat such boxes are not well suited for use as display containers in aretail environment. This is due to the fact that the goods within openedRSC boxes are not visible, other than from the top, unless a portion ofone or more side panels is first separated from the box, by means ofcutting or tearing. Not only does this require additional effort on thepart of the retailer, it also tends to result in an unattractive displaycontainer having rough, uneven edges, which can be unsightly in theretail environment.

[0009] As a result, goods shipped in an RSC box are typically removedfrom the box upon arrival at the vending location and placed on shelvesor into other containers for display, with the box then simply beingdiscarded. This results in both a significant expenditure of time on thepart of the retailer in transferring the goods from the shipping boxesto the display environment, as well as added expense in the form ofshelving or display bins for such goods.

[0010] A further disadvantage of the RSC box is that the corrugatedmaterials typically used in forming such containers are not well-adaptedfor displaying high-impact graphics thereon. As a result, when suchcontainers are used to store and display goods in a retail environment,for example in warehouse stores where shipping containers are oftenplaced directly on the sales floor, the potential of providinghigh-impact sales copy or advertising on such containers is simply notfeasible.

[0011] A number of prior art containers have addressed the issue ofconversion from a shipping container to a display container, forexample, those containers disclosed by Imhoff, U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,430;Kuhn et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,982; and Leftwich et al., U.S. Pat. No.5,657,872. However, none of these prior art containers disclose the useof a standard RSC box which is easily and readily converted to a displaycontainer. Rather, these prior art containers all require a plurality ofblanks having specialized structures, which are not readily adapted forother uses apart from the disclosed inventions. Accordingly, companiescurrently producing RSC boxes would be required to incur additionaltooling and machine costs to begin producing such containers. Moreover,none of these containers address the issue of providing for high-impactgraphics in association with a conventional RSC box formed fromcorrugated paperboard.

[0012] One container that has attempted to address some of thesedisadvantages is currently distributed by the Packaging Corporation ofAmerica. This container is formed from a blank similar to that of astandard RSC box, but having an additional, integral fifth panel, whichpanel includes upper, middle and lower portions. The fifth panel isadapted such that, when the box is articulated, the lower portionoverlaps the front panel, and the middle and upper portions overlap thefront panel top flap. The fifth panel further includes a zipper-typeseparation member separating the middle and upper portions, which, alongwith a perforation defining the edge between the fifth panel and theadjacent side panel, permits separation and removal of the lower andmiddle portions of the fifth panel from the remainder of the box.Additionally, a small breakaway panel is formed by a line of weaknesswithin a portion of the front panel of the box, while an adjacentportion of the front panel and front panel upper flap are completely cutout of the container blank prior to assembly to form an aperture.

[0013] Upon articulation of the box, the four side panels are joinedtogether in the manner of a conventional RSC box, while the fifth panelis overlaid the front panel and front panel upper flap, with the portionof the fifth panel overlying the breakaway panel being adhered theretoby means of a suitable adhesive. Additionally, the upper portion of thefifth panel is adhered to the portion of the front panel upper flaplying directly therebeneath. The user may convert the box to a displaycontainer by (a) pulling upwardly on the separation member to separatethe lower and middle portions of the fifth panel from the upper portion,and then (b) pulling outwardly on the lower portion of the fifth panelto separate the perforation joining the fifth panel to the box itself,thereby separating the attached breakaway panel from the front panel ofthe box. This exposes the aperture located within the box front paneland associated upper flap, thereby permitting access to the goodscontained within the box, without the unsightly rough edges typicallyassociated with cutting or tearing away a portion of a conventional RSCbox.

[0014] However, there are also certain disadvantages associated with thePackaging Corporation of America box. First, the box requires a specialblank having five side panels, rather than the standard four-panel blankassociated with a conventional RSC box, thus resulting in added toolingand manufacture costs associated with producing such a non-standardblank. Moreover, the fact that a portion of the front panel andassociated upper flap are cut out of the blank prior to articulationmeans that the fifth panel must serve the additional purpose of forminga structural portion of the box itself. As a result of theselimitations, the manufacturer of such a box is required to use the samematerial for both the RSC box itself and the associated fifth panel.

[0015] Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a conventional RSCshipping container which, upon reaching its destination, can quickly andeasily be converted into an attractive display container for the goodscontained therein, without unsightly rough edges. It would further bedesirable to provide such a box which can be converted to a displaycontainer without the need to manually cut away a portion of the boxside panels. Such a container would allow the vendor to use the shippingcontainer as an attractive display container, with a minimal amount ofeffort needed to transform the container for display.

[0016] It would also be desirable to provide an RSC shipping containerconstructed from standard corrugated materials, but also having anadditional element formed from a separate blank of a material suitablefor displaying high-impact graphics. This would allow for the use ofunopened shipping containers for displaying high-impact sales copy oradvertising to customers in the retail environment.

[0017] These and other objects and advantages of the present inventionare addressed in the accompanying drawings, specification and claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The invention is directed to a container for the shipping anddisplay of goods which comprises a box formed from a first blank, thebox including a front panel having upper and lower flaps, a first sidepanel having upper and lower flaps, a second side panel having upper andlower flaps, and a rear panel having upper and lower flaps. The boxfurther includes a breakaway panel formed within a portion of at leastone of the front panel, the first side panel, the second side panel andthe rear panel, with the breakaway panel being defined by a first lineof weakness. The container further comprises a breakaway assist panelformed from a second blank distinct from the first blank, whichbreakaway assist panel includes a panel separation member. The breakawayassist panel is aligned with and adhered to the breakaway panel, suchthat removal of the breakaway panel from the box is effectuated bypulling on the panel separation member to rupture the first line ofweakness defining the breakaway panel—towards simultaneously detachingthe breakaway panel and the breakaway assist panel from the box, therebyfacilitating the display of and access to goods contained within thecontainer.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the breakaway panel is formed within aportion of at least one of the front panel, the front panel upper flap,and the front panel lower flap. In this embodiment, the breakaway assistpanel further comprises a fold line defining a lower first portion andan upper second portion. The lower first portion of the breakaway assistpanel is then adhered to at least a portion of the breakaway panellocated in the front panel of the box. Likewise, the upper secondportion of the breakaway assist panel is adhered to at least a portionof the breakaway panel located in at least one of the front panel upperflap and the front panel lower flap.

[0020] The breakaway assist panel may also include a top third portion,which is adhered to a portion of at least one of the front, first side,second side and rear panels not comprising the breakaway panel. In thisembodiment, the breakaway assist panel may further include a second lineof weakness serving to permit separation of the top third portion of thebreakaway assist panel from the lower first and upper second portions ofthe breakaway assist panel. The breakaway assist panel separation membermay comprise either a pull tab formed along an edge of the breakawayassist panel, or an aperture within the breakaway assist panel.

[0021] In another embodiment, the box and the breakaway assist panel areconstructed from different materials. The breakaway assist panel may beconstructed from a material suitable for the display of high-impactgraphics, such as die cut chip board. Likewise, the box may beconstructed from corrugated paperboard.

[0022] The invention is also directed to a method of forming a containerfor the shipping and display of goods, which comprises:

[0023] (1) forming a box from a first blank, the box including a frontpanel having upper and lower flaps, a first side panel having upper andlower flaps, a second side panel having upper and lower flaps, and arear panel having upper and lower flaps;

[0024] (2) forming a breakaway panel within the box by creating a lineof weakness within at least one of the front panel, the first sidepanel, the second side panel and the rear panel, with the line ofweakness serving to define the breakaway panel;

[0025] (3) forming a breakaway assist panel from a second blank;

[0026] (4) aligning and adhering at least a portion of the breakawayassist panel to at least a portion of the breakaway panel;

[0027] (5) partially articulating the container to form a closed bottomsurface;

[0028] (6) placing the goods within the container; and

[0029] (7) closing and sealing the top surface of the container, inorder to contain the goods within the container.

[0030] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the method mayinclude the identical steps (1)-(4) listed above, along with thefollowing alternative steps:

[0031] (5) bringing the goods in direct contact with at least one of thefront panel, the first side panel, the second side panel and the rearpanel; and

[0032] (6) articulating the container around the goods, and sealing eachof the upper and lower flaps to form closed bottom and top surfaces, inorder to contain the goods within the container.

[0033] In a further embodiment of these methods, the first blank forforming the box may comprise corrugated paperboard, and the second blankfor forming the breakaway assist panel may comprise die cut chip board.Additionally, the breakaway assist panel may comprise a lower firstportion and an upper second portion separated by a fold line, whereinthe lower first portion of the breakaway assist panel is adhered to atleast a portion of the breakaway panel located in the front panel, andthe upper second portion of the breakaway assist panel is adhered to atleast a portion of the breakaway panel located in at least one of thefront panel upper flap and the front panel lower flap.

[0034] The above methods may also comprise the additional steps ofpulling outwardly on the breakaway assist panel in order to rupture theline of weakness defining the breakaway panel, and then detaching thebreakaway assist panel and the breakaway panel from the box, therebyfacilitating the display of and access to the goods contained within thecontainer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035]FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a blank for forming the box portionof the present invention.

[0036]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a blank for forming the breakawayassist panel of the present invention.

[0037]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the blank of FIG. 1, after thebreakaway assist panel blank of FIG. 2 has been affixed thereto.

[0038]FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a box formed from the blankof FIG. 1, after the breakaway assist panel has been affixed thereto andthe container has been fully articulated.

[0039]FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the box of FIG. 4.

[0040]FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the box portion of FIG. 4.

[0041]FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the box of FIG. 4, after thebreakaway panel has been partially separated from the box by means ofthe breakaway assist panel, but before the breakaway panel has beencompletely separated from the box.

[0042]FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of the box of FIG. 4, after thebreakaway assist panel and breakaway panel have been completelyseparated from the box, permitting display of and access to the contentstherewithin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in manydifferent forms, there is shown in the drawings, and will be describedin detail herein, one specific embodiment, with the understanding thatthe present embodiment is to be considered as an exemplification of theprinciples of the invention and is not intended to limit the inventionto the embodiments illustrated.

[0044] Container 1 is shown generally in FIGS. 1 through 10 ascomprising box portion 10 and breakaway assist panel 50. Box 10comprises a known rectangular slotted carton (RSC) container, preferablyformed from a single blank of corrugated material such as paperboard,although other materials may be used as desired. Box 10 is shown in FIG.1 as a blank including front panel 12 having associated upper flap 14and lower flap 16, first side panel 18 having associated upper flap 20and lower flap 22, second side panel 24 having associated upper flap 26and lower flap 28, and rear panel 30 having associated upper flap 32 andlower flap 34, and overlap panel 49. Each of the respective upper andlower flaps are joined to the associated panel by way of a conventionalcrush fold line.

[0045] Box 10 also includes line of weakness 46 associated with frontpanel 12 and upper flap 14, which serves to define breakaway panel 40.Breakaway panel 40 includes upper portion 42, lower portion 44 andaperture 48, which is sized so as to accept one or more fingers.Breakaway panel 40 is readily separable from the remainder of boxportion 10 by means of line of weakness 46. Moreover, breakaway panel 40is not limited to the particular shape and configuration shown herein,but may take any number of desired shapes or configurations. Forexample, breakaway panel 40 may be formed from a portion of only onesurface of box 10. Alternatively, breakaway panel 40 may includeportions of side panels 18 and 24 and/or rear panel 30, if so desired.

[0046] Breakaway assist panel 50, shown in FIG. 2, includes bottomportion 52, middle portion 54, top portion 66, tab member 56, line ofweakness 58, fold line 60 and aperture 62. Bottom portion 52 and middleportion 54 of breakaway assist panel 50 are separated by means of foldline 60. Line of weakness 58 is preferably located near the top edge 64of middle portion 54, and top portion 66 is defined by line of weakness58 and top edge 64. Breakaway assist panel 50 is not limited to theparticular shape and configuration shown herein, but rather may take anydesired shape, corresponding to the shape of breakaway panel 40, suchthat breakaway assist panel 50 is adapted to cover substantially all ofbreakaway panel 40.

[0047] While breakaway assist panel 50 may be formed from a likematerial as box 10, such as corrugated paperboard, it may likewise beformed from a different material, such as die cut chip board, which isadapted for the display of high-impact graphics which are not as easilyor inexpensively achieved with corrugated paperboard. For instance, thechip board panel 50 might include photographs showing the goods withinthe container or other subject matter which is designed to appeal toconsumers, which type of display is more difficult to achieve viaplacement on a typical corrugated material. The use of such a materialto form panel 50 is highly desirable for the manufacturer of the goods,in that it allows for unopened shipping containers to serve the furtherpurpose of providing effective advertising, either for the goodscontained therewithin, or even for other goods or services. As a result,the container becomes more attractive to merchants which regularly placeunopened containers on their sales floors, such as warehouse clubstores—for the purpose of generating additional sales through use of theunopened shipping containers as an effective display medium.

[0048] In order to form the blank for box 10, a rectangular piece ofcorrugated material of suitable size is first cut and formed using knownmethods for forming an RSC carton. Next, line of weakness 46 is cut intothe blank, to form breakaway panel 40. Likewise, the blank for breakawayassist panel 50 is formed from a substantially rectangular piece of adesired material, preferably die-cut chip board. Line of weakness 58 isthen cut into breakaway assist panel 50 near top edge 64, and fold line60 is formed at the appropriate location.

[0049] Prior to articulation of box 10, breakaway assist panel 50 isadhered to breakaway panel 40 by means of a suitable adhesive, known tothose of skill in the art, such that breakaway assist panel 50 coverssubstantially all of breakaway panel 40, and top edge 64 of breakawayassist panel 50 is aligned with top edge 15 of upper flap 14, as shownin FIG. 3. In this configuration, aperture 62 of breakaway assist panel50 is aligned with aperture 48 of breakaway panel 40, to form a grippingsurface to facilitate removal of breakaway panel 40 from box 10, asdescribed below.

[0050] The desired adhesive is first applied to both upper portion 42and lower portion 44 of breakaway panel 40, and to an area of upper flap14 immediately adjacent top edge 15. Bottom portion 52 and middleportion 54 of breakaway assist panel 50 are then adhered to breakawaypanel 40, while top portion 66 is adhered to upper flap 14. It ispreferable to adhere top portion 66 to upper flap 14 in this fashion, soas to prevent accidental separation of breakaway panel 40 from box 10during transit. If top portion 66 were not adhered to box 10, undesiredseparation of breakaway panel 40 from box 10 could occur due to forcesexerted on top edge 64 of breakaway assist panel 50 by another object.For, example, if the bottom of an adjacent container were to catch topedge 64 during loading or unloading, the resultant force exerted onbreakaway assist panel 50 could cause some or all of line of weakness 46to rupture prematurely.

[0051] Container 1 is then articulated in the known manner for an RSCcontainer. First, overlap panel 49 is secured to second side panel 24,preferably by means of a suitable adhesive. Next, lower flaps 16, 22, 28and 34 are folded inward to form the bottom of the container, and aresealed by means of tape, adhesive, or other desired means. The containeris then filled with product through the top opening. Finally, top flaps14, 20, 26 and 32 are folded inward to form the top of the container,and are likewise sealed by means of tape, adhesive, or other desiredmeans. Alternatively, the goods may first be brought into contact withone of panels 12, 18, 24 and 30, and the container then articulatedabout the goods. Fully assembled container 1 is shown in FIGS. 4-6.

[0052] The filled container 1 is then shipped to the vending location,typically a retail store, where the product is to be sold to theultimate consumer. The vendor may convert container 1 to a display unitsimply by removing breakaway panel 40 and breakaway assist panel 50.This is accomplished by first pulling outward on breakaway assist panel50 in the direction of arrow A, in order to separate lower portion 44 ofbreakaway panel 40 from box 10 along line of weakness 46. The forceneeded to separate breakaway panel 40 from box 10 may be exerted onbreakaway assist panel 50 by way of either pull tab 56 or aperture 62.FIG. 7 shows container 1 after lower portion 44 of breakaway panel 40has been separated from box 10, while upper portion 42 remains attachedto box 10.

[0053] Breakaway panel 40 can then be completely removed from box 10 bycontinuing to pull in the direction of arrow B, to separate upperportion 42 from box 10 along line of weakness 46. Finally, bottom andmiddle portions 52 and 54 of breakaway assist panel 50 are separatedfrom top portion 66 along line of weakness 58. FIG. 8 shows container 1after breakaway panel 40 and breakaway assist panel 50 have beencompletely removed from box 10. Because breakaway assist panel 50 isadhered only to breakaway panel 40, the remaining portions of box 10 arenot damaged by the removal of breakaway panel 40, either structurally oraesthetically. As a result, box 10 is well suited to be used as adisplay container for goods 70 contained therein, after breakaway panel40 has been removed. Once the removal process is completed, breakawaypanel 40 and breakaway assist panel 50 may then simply be discarded.Notably, all of these benefits are achieved without contiguouslyintegrating breakaway assist panel 50 into the overall blank structureof FIG. 1.

[0054] The foregoing description and drawings merely explain andillustrate the invention, and the invention is not limited theretoexcept insofar as the pending claims are so limited, as those skilled inthe art and having the present disclosure before them will be able tomake modifications and variations therein without departing from thescope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A container for the shipping and display of goodscomprising: a box formed from a first blank, said box including a frontpanel having upper and lower flaps, a first side panel having upper andlower flaps, a second side panel having upper and lower flaps, and arear panel having upper and lower flaps; said box including a breakawaypanel formed within a portion of at least one of said front panel, saidfirst side panel, said second side panel and said rear panel, saidbreakaway panel being defined by a first line of weakness; a breakawayassist panel formed from a second blank distinct from said first blank,said breakaway assist panel including a panel separation member; andsaid breakaway assist panel being aligned with and adhered to saidbreakaway panel, such that removal of said breakaway panel from said boxis effectuated by pulling on the panel separation member to rupture saidfirst line of weakness in said breakaway panel, towards simultaneouslydetaching both said breakaway panel and said breakaway assist panel fromsaid box, thereby facilitating the display of and access to the goodscontained within said container.
 2. The container of claim 1, whereinsaid breakaway panel is formed within a portion of at least one of saidfront panel, said front panel upper flap, and said front panel lowerflap.
 3. The container of claim 2, wherein said breakaway assist panelfurther comprises a fold line defining a lower first portion and anupper second portion.
 4. The container of claim 3, wherein said lowerfirst portion of said breakaway assist panel is adhered to at least aportion of said breakaway panel located in said front panel.
 5. Thecontainer of claim 3, wherein said upper second portion of saidbreakaway assist panel is adhered to at least a portion of saidbreakaway panel located in at least one of said front panel upper flapand said front panel lower flap.
 6. The container of claim 1, whereinsaid breakaway assist panel further comprises a top third portion, saidtop third portion being adhered to a portion of at least one of saidfront, first side, second side and rear panels not comprising saidbreakaway panel.
 7. The container of claim 6, wherein said breakawayassist panel further includes a second line of weakness serving topermit separation of said top third portion of said breakaway assistpanel from said lower first and upper second portions of said breakawayassist panel.
 8. The container of claim 1, wherein said breakaway assistpanel separation member comprises a pull tab formed along an edge ofsaid breakaway assist panel.
 9. The container of claim 1, wherein saidbreakaway assist panel separation member comprises an aperture withinsaid breakaway assist panel.
 10. The container of claim 1, wherein saidbox and said breakaway assist panel are constructed from differentmaterials.
 11. The container of claim 10, wherein said breakaway assistpanel is constructed from a material suitable for the display ofhigh-impact graphics.
 12. The container of claim 11, wherein saidbreakaway assist panel is constructed from die cut chip board.
 13. Thecontainer of claim 10, wherein said box is constructed from corrugatedpaperboard.
 14. A method of forming a container for the shipping anddisplay of goods comprising: forming a box from a first blank, said boxincluding a front panel having upper and lower flaps, a first side panelhaving upper and lower flaps, a second side panel having upper and lowerflaps, and a rear panel having upper and lower flaps; forming abreakaway panel within said box by creating a line of weakness within atleast one of said front panel, said first side panel, said second sidepanel and said rear panel, said line of weakness serving to define saidbreakaway panel; forming a breakaway assist panel from a second blank;aligning and adhering at least a portion of said breakaway assist panelto at least a portion of said breakaway panel; partially articulatingsaid container to form a closed bottom surface; placing the goods withinsaid container; and closing and sealing the top surface of saidcontainer, in order to contain the goods within said container.
 15. Themethod of claim 14, in which said first blank for forming said boxcomprises corrugated paperboard, and said second blank for forming saidbreakaway assist panel comprises die cut chip board.
 16. The method ofclaim 14, in which said breakaway assist panel comprises a lower firstportion and an upper second portion separated by a fold line, whereinsaid lower first portion of said breakaway assist panel is adhered to atleast a portion of said breakaway panel located in said front panel, andsaid upper second portion of said breakaway assist panel is adhered toat least a portion of said breakaway panel located in at least one ofsaid front panel upper flap and said front panel lower flap.
 17. Themethod of claim 14, further comprising: pulling outwardly on saidbreakaway assist panel in order to rupture said line of weaknessdefining said breakaway panel; and detaching said breakaway assist paneland said breakaway panel from said box, thereby facilitating the displayof and access to the goods contained within said container.
 18. A methodof forming a container for the shipping and display of goods comprising:forming a box from a first blank, said box including a front panelhaving upper and lower flaps, a first side panel having upper and lowerflaps, a second side panel having upper and lower flaps, and a rearpanel having upper and lower flaps; forming a breakaway panel withinsaid box by creating a line of weakness within at least one of saidfront panel, said first side panel, said second side panel and said rearpanel, said line of weakness serving to define the breakaway panel;forming a breakaway assist panel from a second blank; aligning andadhering at least a portion of said breakaway assist panel to at least aportion of said breakaway panel; bringing the goods in direct contactwith at least one of said front panel, said first side panel, saidsecond side panel and said rear panel; and articulating said containeraround the goods, and sealing each of said upper and lower flaps to formclosed bottom and top surfaces, in order to contain the goods withinsaid container.
 19. The method of claim 18, in which said first blankfor forming said box comprises corrugated paperboard, and said secondblank for forming said breakaway assist panel comprises die cut chipboard.
 20. The method of claim 18, in which said breakaway assist panelcomprises a lower first portion and an upper second portion separated bya fold line, wherein said lower first portion of said breakaway assistpanel is adhered to at least a portion of said breakaway panel locatedin said front panel, and said upper second portion of said breakawayassist panel is adhered to at least a portion of said breakaway panellocated in at least one of said front panel upper flap and said frontpanel lower flap.
 21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:pulling outwardly on said breakaway assist panel in order to rupturesaid line of weakness defining said breakaway panel; and detaching saidbreakaway assist panel and said breakaway panel from said box, therebyfacilitating the display of and access to the goods contained withinsaid container.